Erdogan's border-security bluster a snarl at Moscow
The Turkish president has renewed threats to move against Syrian Kurdish forces, playing to his nationalist base with promises to secure Turkey's borders, but is unlikely to take action yet for fear of Russian retaliation.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed threats of military action against Syrian Kurdish forces today, saying, “It is time to block the separatist terror group from forming a terror corridor along [Turkey’s border with] Syria."
Speaking to his Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers, Erdogan vowed, "We will complete this process by securing all our borders."
Erdogan was referring to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which backed by the US-led coalition has wrested control of more than half of Turkey’s 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria.
Turkey has repeatedly threatened to move against the YPG, particularly in Afrin. The Kurds want to link this enclave to the rest of their territory lying east of the city of Manbij and stretching all the way to the Iraqi border, thereby establishing an uninterrupted dominion of YPG control. Mindful of Russian retaliation, Turkey has thus far refrained from doing so, allowing Russian-backed Syrian regime forces to nibble at YPG-run areas instead.
